Wire access line drum assembly

ABSTRACT

One aspect of the disclosed subject matter is seen in a wire access line drum assembly, comprising a tubular drum, first and second end portions, and a shaft. The tubular drum includes a first end, a second end, and an inner diameter of a first preselected size. The first and second end portions are coupled to the first and second ends of the tubular drum, and the shaft extends at least partially within the tubular drum. The shaft has an outer diameter of a second preselected size substantially similar to the first preselected size. Another aspect of the disclosed subject matter is seen in a drum storage system. The drum storage system is comprised of a plurality of wire access line drums and a rack. The plurality of wire access line drums each have a wire access line pre-spooled thereon, and the rack is designed to receive the plurality of wire access line drums in a configuration to permit one or more of the wire access lines to be retrieved from the rack and transported to a job site.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

The disclosed subject matter relates generally to well access lines and,more particularly, to a drum assembly for storing and deploying a wellaccess line, wherein the drum assembly resists undesirable deformationand/or crushing when employed in a high-stress environment.

Drilling, completing and producing hydrocarbon and other wells aregenerally complicated and expensive operations. Accordingly, monitoringthe condition of the well and performing routine maintenance on the wellare useful in maintaining its proper health so as to extend the usefullife of, and production from, the well.

Such monitoring and maintenance of the well is generally provided by awell access line stored on and deployed from a drum assembly positionedadjacent the wellbore. The well access line may take on any of a varietyof forms, such as a coiled tubing line capable of delivering a fluidtherethrough and into the wellbore, a wireline configured to deliver awell tool downhole into the well, etc.

In some environments, the well may extend to a very significant depth.Accordingly, for the well access line to extend to a desired depthwithin the well, it may need to be several thousand feet in length, andthus will have a very substantial weight. Given the substantial lengthand weight of some well access lines that are stored on the drumassembly, it should be appreciated that the well access line may exhibitsubstantial forces on the drum assembly, which can lead to undesirabledeformation or even crushing of the drum.

During a conventional wireline procedure, several thousand feet ofwireline cable may be provided to the oilfield wrapped about the drumassembly. Conventionally, a wireline procedure begins with a loggingtool being coupled to the wireline and lowered into the well bycontrollably rotating the drum assembly. With the tool positioneddownhole, the wireline is then pulled uphole by a reverse rotation ofthe drum assembly as the logging application proceeds, recordinginformation relative to the well and surrounding formation. In thismanner, a log revealing an overall profile of the well may beestablished, with measurements being recorded continuously as a functionof depth in the well.

Similarly, during a coiled tubing procedure, several thousand feet ofcoiled tubing may be provided to the oilfield by way of the drumassembly. The coiled tubing may be delivered into the well in order toperform an operation within the well. For example, the coiled tubing maybe employed in a clean out operation. That is, the coiled tubing may beequipped with a spray tool and directed to an area of accumulated debriswithin the well. In this manner, a fluid may be pumped through thecoiled tubing in order to clean out the debris within the well. Thecoiled tubing may then be pulled uphole and out of the well forsubsequent well operations.

During these types of procedures, the drum assembly can be subjected toa significant amount of strain and tension from the load placed thereonby the line. For example, withdrawing the well access line from the wellplaces a significant amount of stress on the drum assembly. That is,tension is exerted on the drum assembly during this pulling as a resultof the weight of the line and any tools disposed thereon. Additionaltension is also exerted on the drum as a result of the friction of theline and the tool being dragged up against the interior surface of thewellbore. Furthermore, there may be a significant amount of fluidresistance to the tool being removed, especially if the rate of removalis relatively high. The cumulative effects of such tension may lead toundesirable deformation or even crushing of the drum assembly.Unfortunately, replacing the drum assembly can be prohibitivelyexpensive, in some cases costing $80,000 or more.

Furthermore, the frequency of drum replacement for well accessoperations has risen sharply in the last several years and is likely tocontinue rising. This may be at least partially due to the types ofwells that are becoming more and more common. That is, in today'shydrocarbon recovery industry, highly deviated and tortuous wells arebecoming more and more common along with deeper and deeper wells. As aresult, the tension of the line on the drum is increased due to theadded amount of friction and fluid resistance that accompany such wellsas well as the added weight of the longer line. These rising forcesassociated with modern wells have dramatically reduced the lifeexpectancy of a conventional drum assembly, and thus, have significantlyincreased operating costs.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosed subjectmatter in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of thedisclosed subject matter. This summary is not an exhaustive overview ofthe disclosed subject matter. It is not intended to identify key orcritical elements of the disclosed subject matter or to delineate thescope of the disclosed subject matter. Its sole purpose is to presentsome concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription that is discussed later.

One aspect of the disclosed subject matter is seen in a wire access linedrum assembly, comprising a tubular drum, first and second end portions,and a shaft. The tubular drum includes a first end, a second end, and aninner diameter of a first preselected size. The first and second endportions are coupled to the first and second ends of the tubular drum,and the shaft extends at least partially within the tubular drum. Theshaft has an outer diameter of a second preselected size substantiallysimilar to the first preselected size.

Another aspect of the disclosed subject matter is seen in a drum storagesystem. The drum storage system is comprised of a plurality of wireaccess line drums and a rack. The plurality of wire access line drumseach have a wire access line pre-spooled thereon. The rack is designedto receive the plurality of wire access line drums in a configuration topermit one or more of the wire access lines to be retrieved from therack and transported to a job site.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed subject matter will hereafter be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denotelike elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a stylistic side view of a vehicle having a wire access linedrum assembly disposed thereon and positioned adjacent a wellbore;

FIGS. 2A-2B are perspective views of one embodiment of a wire accessline drum assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a wireaccess line drum assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4A-4F shows various views of a shaft and a drum used in a wireaccess line drum assembly of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a wireaccess line drum assembly configured in a split arrangement;

FIGS. 6A-6B show various side and cross sectional views of the splitarrangement wire access line drum assembly of FIG. 5;

FIGS. 7A-7D show the components of an assembly that secures a wirelineat a location on the exterior of the drum assembly of FIGS. 1-6 so thatthe wireline may be electrically coupled to various conventionalelectronic and/or recording equipment; and

FIGS. 8A-8B show an end and side view of a storage system formaintaining a plurality of drum assemblies with well access lines ofvarious sizes and lengths located thereon.

While the disclosed subject matter is susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof havebeen shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described indetail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein ofspecific embodiments is not intended to limit the disclosed subjectmatter to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, theintention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternativesfalling within the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter asdefined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments of the disclosed subject matter will bedescribed below. It is specifically intended that the disclosed subjectmatter not be limited to the embodiments and illustrations containedherein, but include modified forms of those embodiments includingportions of the embodiments and combinations of elements of differentembodiments as come within the scope of the following claims. It shouldbe appreciated that in the development of any such actualimplementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerousimplementation-specific decisions may be made to achieve the developers'specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and businessrelated constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another.Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort mightbe complex and time consuming, but may nevertheless be a routineundertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those ofordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. Nothing in thisapplication is considered critical or essential to the disclosed subjectmatter unless explicitly indicated as being “critical” or “essential.”

The disclosed subject matter will now be described with reference to theattached figures. Various structures, systems and devices areschematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation onlyand so as to not obscure the disclosed subject matter with details thatare well known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the attacheddrawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples ofthe disclosed subject matter. The words and phrases used herein shouldbe understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with theunderstanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in therelevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e., adefinition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning asunderstood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied byconsistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a termor phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning otherthan that understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition willbe expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional mannerthat directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for theterm or phrase.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numbers correspondto similar components throughout the several views and, specifically,referring to FIG. 1, the disclosed subject matter shall be described inthe context of being disposed on a vehicle 100. Those skilled in the artwill recognize that a vehicle 100 useful for transporting a wire accessline drum 125 may take on any of a variety of forms, and that othercomponents in addition to those explicitly set forth herein may beuseful in various applications. However, to avoid obfuscating theembodiments described herein, only those components useful to anunderstanding of the present embodiment are included. Additionally,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the wire access line drum125 may be mounted on a separate trailer or conventional skid unit andthen transported to a job site via a truck, forklift, crane, boat,helicopter and the like. Further, the truck or skid may be configuredwith a plurality of wire access line drum assemblies.

In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 may take the form of a truck 105having a cab portion 110 and a bed potion 115. The cab portion 110 maybe of a conventional configuration with an operator compartment arrangedwith various controls to effect steering, acceleration, deceleration andthe like so that the vehicle 100 may be driven or otherwise transportedfrom one job site to another, and positioned adjacent a wellbore 120.The bed portion 115 may include one or more drum assemblies 125 with awell access line 130 located thereon. The well access line 130 may takeany of a variety of forms, such as a coiled tubing line, a wireline, andthe like.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drum assembly 125 maybe alternately, controllably rotated in both forward and reversedirections to allow the well access line 130 to be lowered into orremoved from the wellbore 120. Rotation of the drum assembly 125 may beaccomplished by a conventional system that may include a motor andtransmission (not shown) that may be separate from or associated with aprimary motor and transmission that may also be used to move the truck105.

In some embodiments, it may be useful for the bed portion 115 to alsoinclude a conventional mast assembly 135 and pulley 140 that may becontrollably extended or retracted to orient the well access line 130relative to the wellbore 120. After the mast assembly 135 has been movedto its desired location, then the well access line 130 with a tool 140attached thereto may be lowered into or withdrawn from the wellbore 120by rotating the drum assembly 125 in the appropriate direction.

Turning now to FIG. 2A, a perspective view of the drum assembly 125 isshown. The drum assembly 125 is comprised of a drum 200 with first andsecond end portions 205, 210 disposed at opposite ends of the drum 200.A shaft or axle 215 extends longitudinally through the drum 200 and isreceived within the drum 200 in a relatively close fitting configurationsuch that the shaft 215 provides additional support to the drum 200 toreduce the likelihood that the drum 200 may be deformed or crushed bystress exerted thereon by the well access line 130.

In the illustrated embodiment, the shaft 215 extends beyond the endportions 205, 210 and may be captured within bearings and a fixedmounting (not shown) on the bed portion 115 of the truck 105 so that thedrum assembly 125 is relatively fixed against longitudinal or lateralmovement, but remains free for rotational movement. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that at least one of the end portions 205, 210 maybe coupled to a conventional drive mechanism (not shown) suitable forcontrollably rotating the drum assembly 125 in forward and reversedirections. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B a toothed ring or sprocket220 may be fixedly coupled to one or more of the end portions 205, 210such that the teeth may be engaged by a chain, gear, or like drivemechanism to effect rotation of the drum assembly 125. An opposite endof the drum assembly 125 may include a brake rotor 220 that may beengaged with a caliper and brake pads (not shown) to controllably slowor stop the drum assembly, as desired. In the illustrated embodiment,the toothed ring 220 is coupled to the first and second end portions205, 210 via bolts, but those skilled in the art will appreciate thatother fastening mechanisms may be readily substituted. For example, thetoothed ring 220 may be riveted, pinned, screwed, welded or otherwisemechanically fastened to one or more of the end portions 205, 210.

Turning now to FIG. 3, an exploded perspective view of the drum assembly125 is shown. In the illustrated embodiments, the end portions 205, 210are substantially similar in construction, with each being constructedfrom three distinct pieces, an interior plate 300, an exterior plate305, and an end cap 310. In one embodiment, the drum 200 is tubular inconfiguration and has a plurality of threaded boreholes 315 extendinglongitudinally therein. The interior and exterior plates 300, 305 andthe end cap 310 have matching boreholes 320 that allow properly sizedbolts 321 to be passed therethrough to securely couple the interiorplate 300, exterior plate 305, and end cap 310 to the drum 200.

The interior and exterior plates 300, 305 are configured with a centralbore having a diameter substantially similar to the inner diameter ofthe tubular drum 200 and sufficiently large to allow the shaft 215 topass therethrough. The shaft 215 has a central region 322 and twosubstantially similar end portions 323, 324. The end portions 323, 324have a reduced diameter, as compared to the central region 322, and thusa shoulder 325 is formed on the shaft 315. The endcap 310 also has acentral bore passing therethrough, but it has a slightly smallerdiameter that is less than the total outer diameter of the shaft 215such that the shoulder 325 engages the end cap 310. The shoulder 325 hasa plurality of threaded boreholes 330 extending longitudinally therein.The interior and exterior plates 300, 305 and the end cap 310 havematching boreholes 320 that allow properly sized bolts to be passedtherethrough and into the threaded boreholes 315 to securely couple theinterior plate 300, exterior plate 305, and end cap 310 to the drum 200.The end cap 310 also has boreholes 335 that substantially align with thethreaded boreholes 330 in the shoulder 325 of the shaft 315. Properlysized bolts 321 may be passed through the boreholes 335 and into thethreaded boreholes 330 to securely couple the end cap 310 to the shaft215 and positively retain the shaft 215 within the drum assembly 125. Insome embodiments, it may be useful to include an alignment pin 322between the interior and exterior plates 300, 305 to assist in aligningthe plates 300, 305 during assembly. Likewise, an alignment pin 323 mayextend between at least the exterior plate 305 and the end cap 310 toassist in aligning the exterior plate 305 with the end cap duringassembly.

Turning now to FIGS. 4A-4D, various views of the shaft 215 arediagrammatically shown. In some embodiments, the central region 322 ofthe shaft 215 may have a tubular cross section to reduce weight withoutsubstantially reducing its ability to resist crushing or deformation ofthe drum 200. Alternatively, the central region 322 may be asubstantially solid body, but still obtain weight savings by havinglongitudinal slots 400 formed therein. In the illustrated embodiment,the slots 400 are shown extending along a substantial uninterruptedlongitudinal portion of the central region 322; however, otherconfigurations are envisioned. For example, each of the slots 400 may beconfigured as two or more longitudinal slots that extend for only alimited portion of the longitudinal length of the central region 322.Moreover, it is envisioned that the each of the slots 400 may be formedfrom a plurality of longitudinal slots that are at least slightlylongitudinally misaligned relative to an adjacent one of the pluralityof longitudinal slots. That is each adjacent slot may be offset slightlyso as to not be longitudinally aligned. Such an arrangement may enhancethe ability of the shaft 215 to resist deformation or crushing of thedrum 200.

The outer diameter of the central region 322 of the shaft 215 isselected to be substantially similar to the inner diameter of the drum200 so that the outer surface of the central region 322 is closelyspaced to the inner surface of the drum 200. This close spacing betweenthe shaft 215 and the drum 200 allows the shaft to provide additionalsupport to prevent the drum 200 from deforming or being crushed duringoperation in high-stress conditions. This additional supportsubstantially increases the useful life of the drum assembly 125, suchthat the operating cost of the well access line 130 is greatly reduced.

In an alternative embodiment of the shaft 215, the central region 322may have a tubular cross section with a plurality of longitudinal slots400. The radial depth of the longitudinal slots 400 may be selected suchthat the slots 400 extend partially into or totally through the tubularwall so as to form a cage like structure.

In the illustrated embodiment, the end portions 323, 324 aresubstantially similar in configuration and have a first and secondregion 405, 410 each with slightly smaller diameters. It is envisionedthat the end portions 323, 324 may be constructed of multiple regions,each having a different diameter, or a single region having a singlediameter. In one embodiment, the end portions 323, 324 are integrallyformed with the central region 322. In other embodiments, it isenvisioned that the end portions 323, 324 may be formed separately andmechanically coupled to the central region 322 by any of a variety ofmechanisms, such as by welding, screws, rivets, press fitting, threadedconnection, and the like.

The shaft 215 may also include a passageway 412 through which the wireaccess line 130 may pass. The passageway 412 may extend through a firstlongitudinal end portion 415 and then radially outward to a port 420 onan outer surface of the central region 322. The port 420 may begenerally aligned with an opening 425 extending through the drum 200adjacent a first end portion of the drum 200, as is shown in FIGS. 3, 4Eand 4F. The passageway 412 and opening 425 allow the wire access line130 that is wound about the drum 200 to have a first end portion thatmay be routed through the drum 200 and the shaft 215 such that it exitsthe drum assembly 125 at the first longitudinal end portion 415 where itmay be coupled to various stationary equipment (not shown). In someapplications, it may be useful to couple the wire access line 130 to aconventional rotatable coupling (not shown) that may allow for therotational movement of the drum assembly 125 and wire access line 130without twisting and damaging the wire access line 130.

Turning now to FIG. 5, an alternative embodiment is illustrated in whichthe wire access line drum assembly 125 is arranged in a splitconfiguration. The split configuration provides two separate regions500, 505 on which two separate wire access lines 130 may be stored ordeployed. The split configuration drum assembly 125 of FIG. 5 includes apair of end portions 205, 210 that are substantially similar to the endportions in the embodiment of FIG. 1. The regions 500, 505 are formed bya divider element 510 coupled to the drum 200 and positioned at adesired location between the first and second end portions 205, 210.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a side view and a cross sectional view,respectively, of the split configuration drum assembly 125 of FIG. 5.The divider element 510 is comprised of two end plates 600 and a centerconnector 610. The drum assembly 125 includes two drums 615, 620 thatare substantially similar to the drum 200 of FIG. 1, but varying inlength so as to form the appropriate size for the regions 500, 505.

Each of the end plates 600 includes a plurality of bore holes that alignwith the threaded bore holes in the drums 615, 620 such that each of theend plates 600 may be bolted to one end of its associated drum 615, 620.The end plates 600 may then each be bolted to the center connector 610via a set of corresponding bore holes in the end plates 600 and threadedbore holes in the center connector 610 so as to rigidly interconnect thedrums 615, 620 and the divider element 510. The end portions 205, 210may be coupled to the opposite ends of the drums 615, 620 in like mannerto the end portions 205, 210 discussed in connection with the embodimentof FIG. 1.

Turning now to FIGS. 7A-7E, an assembly useful for securing andprotecting the wireline 130 is shown. As shown in FIG. 7A, an insert 700may be positioned within an end portion of the shaft 215. The insert 700includes a central bore 705 through which the wireline 130 may pass. Thecentral bore 705 may include a tapered region 710 and threaded section715 configured to receive a conventional collet 720 and collet nut 725,shown in FIG. 7B. The collet 720 may be inserted in the tapered region710 and the collet nut 725 engages the threaded section 715 of theinsert 700, such that tightening the collet nut 720 forces the collet720 further into the tapered region 710 to clamp the wireline 130securely therein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that varioussize collets 720 and nuts 725 may be utilized in conjunction withdifferent size wirelines 130.

As seen in FIG. 7C, a junction box 750 may be coupled to the shaft 215by, for example, a plurality of threaded bolts (not shown) extendingthrough openings 755 in a rear surface 760 thereof and engaging threadedboreholes in the shaft 215. A central bore 765 in the rear surface 760of the junction box 750 allows the wireline 130 to pass therein. Thediameter of the central bore 765 is at least slightly smaller than anouter diameter of the insert 700, such that the junction box 750operates to also retain the insert 700 within the shaft 215. As seen inFIG. 7D, a junction box cover 775 may be coupled to the junction box 750via openings 780 though which threaded bolts (not shown) may be passedinto threaded boreholes 770 in the junction box 750 to seal the interiorof the junction box 750 against water intrusion.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some applications itmay be useful to pass electrical signals from the wireline 130 torecording or other electronic equipment (not shown) via a conventionalslip ring arrangement (not shown) that may be coupled to the cover 775of the junction box 750. The slip ring arrangement may be coupled orotherwise bolted to the cover 775 of the junction box 750 and an opening780 in the cover 775 may be used to pass the wireline 130 to the slipring arrangement. In some embodiments, various seals between thejunction box 750 and the shaft 215, between the junction box 750 and thecover 775, and between the slip ring arrangement and the cover 775 maybe useful to reduce the likelihood of water intrusion into the junctionbox 750.

The construction of the drum assembly 125 is sufficiently strong toallow the well access line 130 to be stored thereon long term. Turningnow to FIGS. 8A and 8B, an embodiment of a storage system 800 is shown.FIG. 8A shows an end view of one embodiment of the storage system 800,and FIG. 8B shows a side view of the storage system 800. The storagesystem 800 is comprised of a plurality of drum assemblies 125 locatedwithin stackable containers 805. Each of the containers 805 issubstantially similar and has a floor 810, a pair of end walls 815, anda pair of front and rear walls 820. Each of the walls 815, 820 aresufficiently rigid to allow one or more containers to be stacked thereonwith a drum assembly 125 and well access line 130 stored therein. Thewalls 815, 820 may be solid or have one or more openings formed thereinto protect the drum assembly 125 and well access line 130 frominadvertent damage.

In one embodiment of the storage system 800, it may be useful to be ableto select and remove a container 805 from the storage system 800 andplace the container 805 directly onto a vehicle, trailer, skid, etc. fortransportation to a well site. A lift truck may be used to select andmove the container 805 from the storage system 800 to the vehicle,trailer skid, etc. Accordingly, each of the containers 805 may beconfigured to include one or more openings 825 in the floor 810 that areof sufficient size and spacing to allow the forks of the lift truck tobe inserted therein so that one or more individual containers 805 may betransported from the storage system 800 to its desired location.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that well access lines 130 ofvarious type, length, diameter, etc. may be stored on the drumassemblies 125 in the storage system 800. Thus, an operator of thestorage system 800 may quickly identify the desired type and size ofwire access line 130 within the storage system 800, and then move theselected container to the vehicle, trailer skid, etc. for prompttransport to the well site. In this manner, each type and size of wellaccess lines 130 may be stored in an organized manner, and yet remainavailable for quick and easy location and transportation to a work site.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as thedisclosed subject matter may be modified and practiced in different butequivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having thebenefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations areintended to the details of construction or design herein shown, otherthan as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that theparticular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified andall such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of thedisclosed subject matter. Accordingly, the protection sought herein isas set forth in the claims below.

We claim:
 1. A wire access line drum assembly, comprising: a tubulardrum having a first end, a second end, and an inner diameter of a firstpreselected size; first and second end portions coupled to the first andsecond ends of the tubular drum; and a shaft extending at leastpartially within the tubular drum, the shaft having an outer diameter ofa second preselected size substantially similar to the first preselectedsize, wherein the shaft and drum include interconnecting passagesextending therethrough of a size suitable for routing a wire access linetherethrough, wherein the interconnecting passages extend through alongitudinal end portion of the shaft and intersect with a sealedjunction box.
 2. The wire access line drum of claim 1, wherein the shaftfurther comprises a plurality of longitudinal recesses formed therein.3. The wire access line drum of claim 1, further comprising a mechanicalclamp located adjacent the passage extending through the shaft toreceive and fixedly couple the wire access line.
 4. The wire access linedrum of claim 1, wherein the passage extending through the shaft has atapered opening suitable for receiving a collet therein that allows thewire access line to pass therethrough and be secured against substantialmovement.
 5. The wire access line drum of claim 4, wherein the colletmay be selected from one of a group of collets having varying interiordiameter sizes to accommodate wire access lines of varying exteriordiameter sizes.
 6. The wire access line drum of claim 1, furthercomprising a second tubular drum and a third end portion, the secondtubular drum being coupled between the second and third end portions toform a first region between the first and second end portions forreceiving a first wire access line and a second regions between thesecond and third end portions for receiving a second wire access line.7. The wire access line drum assembly of claim 1, wherein at least aportion of the tubular drum, first and second end portions, and theshaft are readily interchangeable with substantially similar componentsof various sizes to produce different capacity wire access line drumassemblies.
 8. The wire access line drum assembly of claim 1, whereinthe drum assembly is constructed from materials having sufficientstrength to allow long term wire access line storage thereon.
 9. Thewire access line drum assembly of claim 8, wherein a plurality of thedrum assemblies may be stored with a plurality of different wire accessline pre-spooled and stored thereon.
 10. The wire access line drumassembly of claim 9, wherein at least one of the drum assemblies withthe wire access line pre-spooled thereon may be directly removed fromstorage and transported to a job site.
 11. A drum storage system,comprising: a plurality of wire access line drums, each having a wireaccess line pre-spooled thereon; and a rack designed to receive theplurality of wire access line drums in a configuration to permit one ormore of the wire access lines to be retrieved from the rack andtransported to a job site, wherein the wire access line drums furthercomprise: a tubular drum having a first end, a second end, and an innerdiameter of a first preselected size; first and second end portionscoupled to the first and second ends of the tubular drum; and a shaftextending at least partially within the tubular drum, the shaft havingan outer diameter of a second preselected size substantially similar tothe first preselected size wherein the shaft and drum includeinterconnecting passages extending therethrough of a size suitable forrouting a wire access line therethrough, wherein the interconnectingpassages extend through a longitudinal end portion of the shaft andintersect with a sealed junction box.
 12. The drum storage system ofclaim 11, wherein a first portion of the plurality of wire access linedrums are configured to have a wire access line of a first configurationspooled thereon and a second portion of the plurality of wire accessline drums are configured to have a wire access line of a secondconfiguration spooled thereon, such that an operator selects the wireaccess line configuration suitable for the job site to which the wireaccess line drum is to be transported.
 13. The drum storage system ofclaim 11, wherein the shaft further comprises a plurality oflongitudinal recesses formed therein.
 14. The drum storage system ofclaim 11, further comprising a mechanical clamp located adjacent thepassage extending through the shaft to receive and fixedly couple thewire access line.
 15. The drum storage system of claim 11, wherein thepassage extending through the shaft has a tapered opening suitable forreceiving a collet therein that allows the wire access line to passtherethrough and be secured against substantial movement.
 16. The drumstorage system of claim 15, wherein the collet may be selected from oneof a group of collets having varying interior diameter sizes toaccommodate wire access lines of varying exterior diameter sizes. 17.The drum storage system of claim 11, further comprising a second tubulardrum and a third end portion, the second tubular drum being coupledbetween the second and third end portions to form a first region betweenthe first and second end portions for receiving a first wire access lineand a second regions between the second and third end portions forreceiving a second wire access line.
 18. The drum storage system ofclaim 11, wherein at least a portion of the tubular drum, first andsecond end portions, and the shaft are readily interchangeable withsubstantially similar components of various sizes to produce differentcapacity wire access line drum assemblies.
 19. The drum storage systemof claim 11, wherein the drum assembly is constructed from materialshaving sufficient strength to allow long term wire access line storagethereon.